A box-type scheme for fractional sub-diffusion equation with Neumann boundary conditions

Combining order reduction approach and L1 discretization, a box-type scheme is presented for solving a class of fractional sub-diffusion equation with Neumann boundary conditions. A new inner product and corresponding norm with a Sobolev embedding inequality are introduced. A novel technique is applied in the proof of both stability and convergence. The global convergence order in maximum norm is O(τ^2−α + h²). The accuracy and efficiency of the scheme are checked by two numerical tests.     

A Fourier method for the fractional diffusion equation describing sub-diffusion

In this paper, a fractional partial differential equation (FPDE) describing sub-diffusion is considered. An implicit difference approximation scheme (IDAS) for solving a FPDE is presented. We propose a Fourier method for analyzing the stability and convergence of the IDAS, derive the global accuracy of the IDAS, and discuss the solvability. Finally, numerical examples are given to compare with the exact solution for the order of convergence, and simulate the fractional dynamical systems.     

Alternating direction implicit schemes for the two-dimensional fractional sub-diffusion equation

New numerical techniques are presented for the solution of a two-dimensional anomalous sub-diffusion equation with time fractional derivative. In these methods, standard central difference approximation is used for the spatial discretization, and, for the time stepping, two new alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes based on the L₁ approximation and backward Euler method are considered. The two ADI schemes are constructed by adding two different small terms, which are different from standard ADI methods. The solvability, unconditional stability and H¹ norm convergence are proved. Numerical results are presented to support our theoretical analysis and indicate the efficiency of both methods.     

Explicit and implicit finite difference schemes for fractional Cattaneo equation

In this paper, the numerical solution of fractional (non-integer)-order Cattaneo equation for describing anomalous diffusion has been investigated. Two finite difference schemes namely an explicit predictor–corrector and totally implicit schemes have been developed. In developing each scheme, a separate formulation approach for the governing equations has been considered. The explicit predictor–corrector scheme is the fractional generalization of well-known MacCormack scheme and has been called Generalized MacCormack scheme. This scheme solves two coupled low-order equations and simultaneously computes the flux term with the main variable. Fully implicit scheme however solves a single high-order undecomposed equation. For Generalized MacCormack scheme, stability analysis has been studied through Fourier method. Through a numerical test, the experimental order of convergency of both schemes has been found. Then, the domain of applicability and some numerical properties of each scheme have been discussed.     

An anomalous non-self-similar infiltration and fractional diffusion equation

Problems of anomalous infiltration in porous media are considered. As follows from the analysis of experimental data, modification of the infiltration equation is necessary. A fractional diffusion equation with variable order of the time-derivative operator for describing the liquid infiltration in porous media is proposed. The physical meaning of this fractional equation is explained. This equation provides good agreement with existing experimental data for both the subdiffusion and the superdiffusion. The treatment of experimental data for the absorption of water in a fired-clay brick and for water infiltration in cement mortar using this fractional equation of diffusion is presented. Various formulae, which can be useful for applications, have been developed.     

Solving fractional diffusion and wave equations by modified homotopy perturbation method

This Letter applies the modified He's homotopy perturbation method (HPM) suggested by Momani and Odibat to obtaining solutions of linear and nonlinear fractional diffusion and wave equations. The fractional derivative is described in the Caputo sense. Some illustrative examples are given, revealing the effectiveness and convenience of the method.     

Exact solutions for nonlinear fractional anomalous diffusion equations

This work is devoted to investigating exact solutions of generalized nonlinear fractional diffusion equations with external force and absorption. We first investigate the nonlinear anomalous diffusion equations with one-fractional derivative and then multi-fractional ones. In both situations, we obtain the corresponding exact solution, its diffusive behavior, and the sufficient and necessary conditions for solutions satisfying the boundary condition W(±∞,t)=0 and the sharp initial condition W(x,0)=δ(x).     

Solutions for a non-Markovian diffusion equation

Solutions for a non-Markovian diffusion equation are investigated. For this equation, we consider a spatial and time dependent diffusion coefficient and the presence of an absorbent term. The solutions exhibit an anomalous behavior which may be related to the solutions of fractional diffusion equations and anomalous diffusion.     

The operator method for solving the fractional Fokker-Planck equation

The operator method has been used to solve the fractional Fokker-Planck equation (FPE) which recently formulated as a model for the anomalous transport process. Two classes of special interest of fractional F-P equations coming from plasma physics and charged particle transport problem has been considered. It is shown that the mean square-displacement 〈x²(t)〉 satisfy the universal power law characterized the anomalous time evolution i.e. .     

A second-order accurate numerical method for the two-dimensional fractional diffusion equation

Spatially fractional order diffusion equations are generalizations of classical diffusion equations which are used in modeling practical superdiffusive problems in fluid flow, finance and others. In this paper, we present an accurate and efficient numerical method to solve a fractional superdiffusive differential equation. This numerical method combines the alternating directions implicit (ADI) approach with a Crank–Nicolson discretization and a Richardson extrapolation to obtain an unconditionally stable second-order accurate finite difference method. The stability and the consistency of the method are established. Numerical solutions for an example super-diffusion equation with a known analytic solution are obtained and the behavior of the errors are analyzed to demonstrate the order of convergence of the method.     

An O(N logN) alternating-direction finite difference method for two-dimensional fractional diffusion equations

Fractional diffusion equations model phenomena exhibiting anomalous diffusion that cannot be modeled accurately by the second-order diffusion equations. Because of the nonlocal property of fractional differential operators, the numerical methods for fractional diffusion equations often generate dense or even full coefficient matrices. Consequently, the numerical solution of these methods often require computational work of O(N³) per time step and memory of O(N²) for where N is the number of grid points.     

Finite difference approximations for a fractional advection diffusion problem

The use of the conventional advection diffusion equation in many physical situations has been questioned by many investigators in recent years and alternative diffusion models have been proposed. Fractional space derivatives are used to model anomalous diffusion or dispersion, where a particle plume spreads at a rate inconsistent with the classical Brownian motion model. When a fractional derivative replaces the second derivative in a diffusion or dispersion model, it leads to enhanced diffusion, also called superdiffusion. We consider a one-dimensional advection–diffusion model, where the usual second-order derivative gives place to a fractional derivative of order α$\alpha$, with 1<α?2$1<\alpha ?2$. We derive explicit finite difference schemes which can be seen as generalizations of already existing schemes in the literature for the advection–diffusion equation. We present the order of accuracy of the schemes and in order to show its convergence we prove they are stable under certain conditions. In the end we present a test problem.     

Pre-asymptotic corrections to fractional diffusion equations

The motion of contaminant particles through complex environments such as fractured rocks or porous sediments is often characterized by anomalous diffusion: the spread of the transported quantity is found to grow sublinearly in time due to the presence of obstacles which hinder particle migration. The asymptotic behavior of these systems is usually well described by fractional diffusion, which provides an elegant and unified framework for modeling anomalous transport. We show that pre-asymptotic corrections to fractional diffusion might become relevant, depending on the microscopic dynamics of the particles. To incorporate these effects, we derive a modified transport equation and validate its effectiveness by a Monte Carlo simulation.     

A direct O(N log N) finite difference method for fractional diffusion equations

Fractional diffusion equations model phenomena exhibiting anomalous diffusion that can not be modeled accurately by the second-order diffusion equations. Because of the nonlocal property of fractional differential operators, the numerical methods have full coefficient matrices which require storage of O(N²) and computational cost of O(N³) where N is the number of grid points.     

Single phase encoding method based on the fractional Fourier transform

We propose a single phase encoding scheme for encrypting image by using fractional Fourier transform. Single phase mask is designed in order to be symmetrical about certain direction, which can be used in the process of both encryption and decryption. A conjugate mask is not required in the image decryption process, which is very convenient for the practical application in optics. Moreover, the optical implementation of the image encryption and decryption is given. The implementing structure is composed of lens and spherical mirror. Numerical simulations have demonstrated the validity and security of the encryption algorithm.     

Anomalous diffusion expressed through fractional order differential operators in the Bloch-Torrey equation

Diffusion weighted MRI is used clinically to detect and characterize neurodegenerative, malignant and ischemic diseases. The correlation between developing pathology and localized diffusion relies on diffusion-weighted pulse sequences to probe biophysical models of molecular diffusion-typically exp[-(bD)]-where D is the apparent diffusion coefficient (mm(2)/s) and b depends on the specific gradient pulse sequence parameters. Several recent studies have investigated the so-called anomalous diffusion stretched exponential model-exp[-(bD)(alpha)], where alpha is a measure of tissue complexity that can be derived from fractal models of tissue structure. In this paper we propose an alternative derivation for the stretched exponential model using fractional order space and time derivatives. First, we consider the case where the spatial Laplacian in the Bloch-Torrey equation is generalized to incorporate a fractional order Brownian model of diffusivity. Second, we consider the case where the time derivative in the Bloch-Torrey equation is replaced by a Riemann-Liouville fractional order time derivative expressed in the Caputo form. Both cases revert to the classical results for integer order operations. Fractional order dynamics derived for the first case were observed to fit the signal attenuation in diffusion-weighted images obtained from Sephadex gels, human articular cartilage and human brain. Future developments of this approach may be useful for classifying anomalous diffusion in tissues with developing pathology.     

Fractional generalized Langevin equation approach to single-file diffusion

Fractional generalized Langevin equation with external force is used to model single-file diffusion. It is found that for external force that varies with power law the solution for such a fractional Langevin equation gives the correct short and long time behavior for the mean square displacement of single-file diffusion when appropriate choice of parameters associated with fractional generalized Langevin equation are used. By considering some special cases of the fractional generalized Langevin equation, a new class of closed analytic expressions for the mean square displacement of single-file diffusion can be obtained. The effective Fokker-Planck equation associated with single-file diffusion is briefly considered.     

Fractional nonlinear diffusion equation,solutions and anomalous diffusion

We devote this work to investigate the solutions of a generalized diffusion equation which contains spatial fractional derivatives and nonlinear terms. The presence of external forces and absorbent terms is also considered. The solutions found here can have a compact or long tail behavior and, in particular, for the last case in the asymptotic limit, we relate these solutions to the Lévy or Tsallis distributions. In addition, from the results presented here a rich class of diffusive processes, including normal and anomalous ones, can be obtained.     

Fractional nonlinear diffusion equation and first passage time

We investigate the solutions and the first passage time for anomalous diffusion processes governed by the fractional nonlinear diffusion equation with a space- and time-dependent diffusion coefficient subject to absorbing boundaries and the initial condition. We obtain explicit analytical expression for the probability distribution, the first passage time distribution, the mean first passage time, and the mean squared displacement corresponding to different time-dependent diffusion coefficient. In addition, we compare our results for the first passage time distribution and the mean first passage time with the one obtained by usual linear diffusion equation with time-dependent diffusion coefficient.     

A meshless method based on moving Kriging interpolation for a two-dimensional time-fractional diffusion equation

Fractional diffusion equations have been the focus of modeling problems in hydrology, biology, viscoelasticity, physics, engineering, and other areas of applications. In this paper, a meshfree method based on the moving Kriging inter- polation is developed for a two-dimensional time-fractional diffusion equation. The shape function and its derivatives are obtained by the moving Kriging interpolation technique. For possessing the Kronecker delta property, this technique is very efficient in imposing the essential boundary conditions. The governing time-fractional diffusion equations are transformed into a standard weak formulation by the Galerkin method. It is then discretized into a meshfree system of time-dependent equations, which are solved by the standard central difference method. Numerical examples illustrating the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are presented and discussed in detail.